AQA IAL · Analysis & Prediction

2024 AQA IAL English Language (9670) Past Paper Analysis

This assessment suite evaluates Unit 1 (Language and Context), Unit 2 (Language and Society), Unit 3 (Language Variation), and Unit 4 (Language Exploration) from the January 2024 series. It demands a rigorous grasp of linguistic frameworks, analytical comparison, and independent investigative design.

Updated: 12 Jun 2026

Analysis Sample paper

Difficulty 3.8/5

Total marks

200

Duration

510 mins

Most tested

Written unit (Language exploration)

Paper breakdown

Unit 1: Language and context: 50 marks · 120 minsUnit 2: Language and society: 50 marks · 120 minsUnit 3: Language variation: 50 marks · 120 minsUnit 4: Language exploration: 50 marks · 150 mins

Top chapters

Written unit (Language exploration) · 50 marksUnderstanding texts (Language and context) · 25 marksDirected writing (Language and context) · 25 marks

Executive Examiner Verdict

The January 2024 Oxford AQA International English Language paper suite presents a balanced but rigorous challenge across AS and A-Level. Success hinges on a student's ability to seamlessly apply linguistic terminology (AO1) while evaluating how contextual factors shape meaning (AO2). Across all units, examiners heavily penalize responses that read like simple literary commentaries or descriptive summaries, looking instead for structural patterning, phonological features, and pragmatic concepts.

Where the Marks are Won and Lost

Section A Comparison (Unit 1): The highest-achieving candidates systematically map out contrasting modes of communication, such as the visual-typographic layout of instructional texts compared to the prosodic stress and pauses of spontaneous transcriptions. Marks are frequently lost when students treat the texts in isolation rather than establishing systematic points of comparison.
Language and Society (Unit 2): Successful essays on language and power move beyond anecdotal descriptions to apply clear models of instrumental versus influential power, referencing specific lexical and grammatical markers.
Language Variation (Unit 3): High-scoring answers critically evaluate theories of child language acquisition (such as nativism versus behaviorism) using the provided child speech data as evidence, rather than merely listing errors.
Language Exploration (Unit 4): A-level candidates are expected to show strong ownership of their investigative method, defining tight linguistic hypotheses and matching them to cohesive datasets.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Examiners continuously flag the use of vague, non-specialist vocabulary (such as 'the author uses words to...'). Precision is key: students should name precise word classes, identify sentence functions (declarative, imperative), and comment on passive/active voice. Additionally, in directed writing tasks, maintaining a consistent register and persona suitable for the target audience is absolutely crucial for securing top-band marks in AO3.

Charts

Marks by chapter

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Question type mix

Compare the mark share of each paper section and question type.

Textual Comparison & Analysis50 marks · 2 questions
Directed Writing25 marks · 1 questions
Theoretical / Conceptual Essay75 marks · 3 questions
Language Investigation50 marks · 1 questions

Mark accessibility

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75%within easy or medium reach

easy: 55 marksmedium: 95 markshard: 50 marks

Difficulty trend

Compare difficulty across recent years.

Command word frequency

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Skill weighting

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Study ROI

Bigger bubbles recur more often; higher bubbles carry more marks, helping you rank revision priorities.

Directed Writing (Unit 1)

25 marks · Difficulty 2.5 · recurrence 5%

Language and Social Groups: Texts (Unit 2)

25 marks · Difficulty 3.2 · recurrence 5%

Learning Language (Unit 3)

25 marks · Difficulty 3.5 · recurrence 5%

Written Investigation (Unit 4)

50 marks · Difficulty 4.2 · recurrence 5%

Time vs marks

Compare marks with suggested time allocation to plan exam pacing.

marksmins

Next-year prediction

Topics worth watching next year, with the reason shown directly below each bar.

Global Englishes & Language Shifts4%

Given the focus on 'who controls English' in the current series, future papers are highly likely to test the linguistic properties of specific national varieties or Pidgins/Creoles.

Gender and Occupational Discourse4%

Power was heavily featured in the Unit 2 essay; gender/social groups and professional communities are highly overdue for detailed textual exploration.

Cumulative marks ladder

The line is your running mark total question by question; dashed lines are the estimated grade cut-offs. See which question the line crosses your target grade at, so you know how far you must answer cleanly and which questions decide a band.

Topic-year heatmap

Compare topic weight by year to spot recurring and returning areas.

Jan 2023

Jun 2023

Jan 2024

Written unit (Language exploration)

Understanding texts (Language and context)

Directed writing (Language and context)

Language and social groups: texts (Language and society)

Language and social groups: writing (Language and society)

Learning language (Language variation)

International English (Language variation)

Examiner insights

Official report

Common pitfalls

Analyzing texts sequentially in comparative tasks instead of building integrated thematic and linguistic comparisons.
Relying on generalized or non-linguistic assertions when discussing social power, rather than tracing grammatical and lexical features.
Treating child spoken errors as simple mistakes rather than system-driven developmental stages or showing resistance to correction.

Misconceptions

Believing that corrective feedback from parents is the primary driver of grammatical acquisition in early childhood.
Assuming standard English is inherently superior or that global variations of English represent a decay of linguistic standards.

Where marks are lost

Lacking precise linguistic terminology (AO1) in the method section of Unit 4 investigations.
Failing to adapt register, structure, and address to the specified audience in the Unit 1 Directed Writing tasks.
Omitting explicit references to established linguistic frameworks or academic theories in the conceptual essay prompts.

Estimated grade cut-off

Updated: 12 Jun 2026

Source: Oxford AQA International grade boundaries (UMS)

Level	Mark	Percentage
A*	—	90%
A	—	80%
B	—	70%
C	—	60%
D	—	50%
E	—	40%

Official grade boundaries published by Oxford AQA International grade boundaries (UMS).

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